Abeer Etefa, Middle East spokeswoman for the UN’s World Food Programme, has told a briefing in Geneva that the WFP now has 26 food distribution points open in Gaza — up from five on Friday, but still far short of the 145 it hopes to run throughout the territory.

Most are in the south and centre of the strip. “People are showing up in large numbers” at the distribution points, Etefa said.

She said that only the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings were open, but called for every entry point into the Palestinian territory to be opened, particularly those in the north, where the food situation “is extremely dire”.

“We don’t have an indication on when those border points will be opened,” she said, adding: “We haven’t gotten to the point where Gaza is flooded with food.“